Serving tray and method of making same



Dec. 15, 1953 J PQTCHEN 2,662,382

SERVING TRAY AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed June 19, 1950 lhwentorJOSEPH A. Pore/451v Gttorneg Patented Dec. 15, 1953 SERVING TRAY ANDMETHOD OF MAKING SAME Joseph A. Potchen, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor,by mesne assignments, to Hasko Trays, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., acorporation of Indiana Application June 19, 1950, Serial No. 169,043

Claims. 1

This invention relates to serving trays and a method of making servingtrays and more particularly to the design of and manufacture of asimplified ornamental serving tray adapted particularly to domestic usebut also usable for commercial purposes.

Since serving trays are largely used for the serving of food andparticularly in the entertaining of guests or the serving of patrons ina restaurant, it is a requisite of these trays that a they be designedto have a neat and pleasing ornamental appearance. Appearance is soimportant in this type of article that where there is a conflict betweenappearance and good manufacturing design, it frequently occurs that thegood manufacturing design is sacrificed in favor of the appearance.

It is, therefore, the ideal in designing articles such as trays tocombine a design for simple and economical fabrication with a designhaving an attractive ornamental appearance. The trend of the presentdemand for articles of this type is toward simplified designincorporating a pleasing balance of curves and unencumbered lines. Tothis end, I have designed a tray having a small number of componentparts each designed to fill an important structural function and at thesame time to produce, as a combination, an attractive ornamentalappearance. parts involved, the cost of the finished unit issubstantially reduced. In addition, the unit lends itself to rapid,simple assembly. This rapid assembly reduces the final cost of the unitby eliminating much of the time and labor involved in assembling acomplex. structure which, in previous designs, often involved thenecessity of making a number of subassemblies.

My invention goes further than the mere reduction of the number of partsinvolved. It eliminates one of the most unsatisfactory aspects ofconventional tray design by eliminating the necessity for any type offasteners such as screws, bolts, rivets or the use of cements, glues orother bonding agents. By eliminating these bonding agents and fasteners,the life of. the article is greatly extended. The article is moredurable because there are no fasteners to work loose or be damaged andthere are no bonding agents to become detached or be deteriorated bysolvents such as the chemicals incident to food or cleaning compounds.At the same time, the over-all strength of the unit is materiallyincreased since the parts, once assembled, are neither subject to slowlyworking loose nor becoming slowly sepa- By reducing the number ofcomponent 1 2 rated in any other manner. The strength of the jointformed in my assembly is many times that available with conventionalfasteners.

It is, therefore, a primary object of my inven tion to provide a servingtray having a minimum number of component parts, each of a simple designand subject to rapid and easy assembly.

It is a further object of my invention to pro-- vide a serving trayhaving a neat and pleasing appearance.

A further object of my invention is to provide a strong and durableserving tray which will withstand long and continued usage withoutbecoming disassembled.

These and other advantages of my invention will be immediately seen bythose acquainted with the design and manufacture of serving trays uponreading the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a plan View of my serving tray.

Figure 2 is an exploded, plan View of my serving tray.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of my serving traytaken along the plane IIIIII of Figure 1 showing the handle in assembledcondition.

Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of my serving traytaken along the same plane as Figure 3 showing the handle in positionfor assembly but prior to attachment to the tray.

Figure 5 is a partially exploded, plan view of a modified form of myserving tray.

Figure 6 is an enlarged, sectional View of the rim for my serving traytaken along the plane VI-VI of Figure 2.

In executing the objects and purposes of my invention I have provided aserving tray consisting of a base or platform surrounded by a split rimlocked into place by a pair of handles. The handles form the one andonly look for securing and holding the entire assembly in place.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, the numeral 2 indicates abody member or platform of substantial thickness and made of anysuitable material. llhe platform 2 may be made of wood, glass, laminatedpaper, any of the various materials having a urea or phenol basis, or ofany suitable metal. The shape of the platform 2 may be circular ornoncircular. For the sake of brevity, only the rectangular shape isillustrated. However, the illustration of this particular shape is notto be taken as limiting.

The corners 3 of the noncircular tray, such as the rectangular trayillustrated, are rounded to facilitate the fabrication and assembly ofthe rim l. The rim includes the rim segments 4 and 4a each consisting ofan elongated member having a U-shaped cross section. The recess in eachof the rim segments 4 and 4a is of such width that when the segments ofthe rim are mounted on the platform 2, the platform 2 will seat closelywithin the recess or inner channel 5 of the rim. The rim segments 4 andta are identical, each of them having a length equal to one half theperimeter of the platform 2. When the rim segments 4 and 4a areassembled on the platform 2, they are designed each to receive snuglythe platform 2 within the channel 5 and to have their ends 6 and 6a,respectively, closely abutting each other about the longitudinalcenterline of the platform 2.

The handles 1 each consist of a body member 8 functioning as a hand gripat the upper end and as a leg at the lower end. The hand grip 9 of eachof the handles 1 is curved through a substantial arc whereby a large,positive and convenient grip is provided. The leg ID of the body portionserves as a support for the handle and ultimately for the assembledtray. The handle is equipped with a projecting clamp consisting of anupper jaw and a lower jaw 2|. Both the upper jaw 2|] and lower jaw 2|are formed integral with the body portion 8 and are spaced apart attheir point of junction with the body portion 8 a distance equal to theheight of the rim The upper jaw 20 is substantially perpendicular to thebody portion 3. The lower jaw 2| before assembly diverges from the upperjaw 20. This permits the rim I to be received into the pocket 24 formedbetween the jaws. A relief 25 is provided at the point of juncturebetween the lower jaw 2| and the body portion 8. At the free end of theupper jaw 20 and of the lower jaw 2 I, each of the jaws is provided witha lip 22 and 22a, respectively. The lips 22 and 22a are directed towardeach other and have a depth equal to the wall thickness of the rim Thelip 22a is equipped with serrations 23 for purposes which will appearmore fully hereinafter.

In the modified design of my tray, illustrated in Figure 5, all of theparts employed in the assembly of this tray are identical to the partsused in the tray illustrated in Figure 2, except that the rim Eliinstead of consisting of two segments is a single part split at one ofits ends whereby it may be spread apart to receive the platform 2.

The rims l and may each be made of any suitable material havingsufficient resistance to wear and abrasion to withstand normal usage atthe edge of a tray and having the desired ornamental appearancenecessary to balance the design of the tray. The handles 1 may be formedof any suitable material which is both strong and capable of beingdeformed when the handle is assembled to the tray. It is necessary thatthe jaws 20 and 2| of the handle 7 be capable of deformation yet havesufficient strength that, once squeezed into their clamping position,they will not again separate without the application of substantialforce. I have found that aluminum makes a particularly desirablematerial for this handle, although other materials may be used.

Assembly The method of assembling my tray consists of mounting the tworim segments 4 and 4a on the platform 2 by merely slipping them over thesides of the platform 2 and pushing them toward each other until theedges of the platform 2 are securely seated within the channels 5 of therim segments. When this has been done, the handles 7, with their jaws 20and 2| separated as illustrated in Figure 4, are seated over the rim ateach end of the tray. The handles are centered between the sides of thetray and, as so located, the clamping jaws 20 and 2| seat over the endsof the rim segments 4 and 4a. The upper jaw 20 is seated against the rimand acts as a locating stop. When the handles 1 have each been inserteduntil the rim I has been fully received into the pocket 24, the clampingjaws 20 and 2| are squeezed together by any suitable means, such as aclamp or press, until the clamping jaws 20 and 2| tightly engage the rimand securely seize it between them. In this squeezing operation theupper jaw 20 remains stationary or substantially so. The lower jaw 2| isbent upwardly to engage the rim and platform. The relief 25 weakens thejoint between the lower jaw 2| and the body member 8 whereby the lowerjaw 2| will move before the upper jaw 20. At the same time the lips 22and 22a of the clamping jaws surround the rim and bear against the upperand lower faces of the platform 2, respectively. The serrations 23engage the lower face of the platform 2 to securely anchor the handles 1from being withdrawn lengthwise of the tray. The

=, serrations 23 may be eliminated since the tight engagement betweenthe rim and the platform 2 caused by the clamping or squeezing actioncaused by the clamping jaws 20 and 2| is normally sufficient to preventany endwise displacement of the handles.

The handles 1, once installed, are permanently mounted on the tray. Thehandles, when mounted, cover the joints between the rim segments 4 and4a and secure the rim segments 4 and 4a against displacement. Thus, allof the component parts of the tray are by this single, simple operationrigidly secured together into a permanent assembly. No additionalfastening means or bonding agent is necessary. Further, since theclamping jaws 20 and 2| are each of substantial thickness and the momentarm created by the length of the leg H3 or the length of the handle 9 iscomparatively short compared to the strength developed by the jaws 20and 2|, the handle is not subject to being loosened by ordinary use oreven by limited abuse. Since the jaws depend upon the permanentdeformation of the metal and have a large area of common engagement withboth the platform and the rim, a much tighter and more permanentanchorage is secured than is possible with rivets, bolts, screws orother conventional fastening means.

The tray as so assembled consists of only five simple parts. Of thesefive simple parts the rim segments 4 and 4a are interchangeable and thehandles 1 are each identical and interchangeable. Therefore, the entiretray consists of only three different and distinct parts. The assemblyof the tray consists of only three distinct operations. These are: theassembly of the rim segments 4 and 4a to the platform 2; the placing or"each of the handles 1 over the ends of the rim and platform assembly;and the closing of the jaws of the handles '1 to lock together theassembly.

The assembly of the modified form of my tray illustrated in Figure 5 isdifferent only to the extent that the platform 2 is placed within therim 5B which, at its open end, is then squeezed together. This mounts itabout the periphery of the platform. The handles I are then assembled tothe rim-platform assembly and secured into place in a manner identicalwith the mount ing of the handles 1 on the rim-platform combinationshown in Figure 2. In the case of the modified form of my tray, thehandle 1, at the split end of the rim 59, serves to complete theassembly and anchor it into place. The handle I at the other end of thetray serves only as additional anchorage for the rim.

It is obvious from this description that more handles may be added toany of these trays without departing from the principle of my invention.Additional handles may be mounted on each of the long sides of the trayillustrated in Figure 1, if such is desired for ornamental reasons.Where a triangular tray is involved, the rim may be made of one, two orthree pieces depending upon the most desirable fabrication arrangementand may be held in place by handles placed on each of the three sides.Where a circular tray is desired, the rim may be made of a one-piecering split to permit assembly with the base or platform or the ring maybe made up of a plurality of arcuate segments and held together byhandles identical to the handles 1 except that they will be concavelycurved to fit the arc of the perimeter of the tray. In each case, therim is held in place by the gripping action of the handles which alsoserves to permanently and firmly secure the handles to the trayassembly.

These and other modifications of my tray may be made without departingfrom the principle of my invention. Each of these modifications is to beconsidered as included in the hereinafter appended claims unless theseclaims by their language expressly state otherwise.

In the following claims the term split rim means both a rim having asingle cut through it to permit opening and a rim made up of two ordefining a pocket therebetween; a portion of said rim on each side ofsaid opening therein received into said pocket and tightly engaged bysaid jaws; each of said jaws extending over said rim and tightlyengaging said base member inwardly of said rim.

2. As an article of manufacture, a tray, the combination comprising: aplatform; a two-piece rim, each of said pieces having walls defining aninternal channel for receiving said platform; each piece of said rimmounted on said platform closely about and engaging the peripherythereof; a pair of handles each having a pair of spaced jaws defining agroove therebetween; one end of each piece of said rim received in thegroove between and tightly engaged by the jaws of each of said handles;the jaws of each of said handles extending inwardly of said tray beyondsaid rim and tightly engaging said platform.

3. The method of assembling an article or manufacture and attaching ahandle thereto, the steps which include: loosely assembling a bodymember and a rim, providing a handle having a leg and a pair of spacedjaws, seating said jaws over said rim, simultaneously pressing said jawsagainst said rim and deforming the portion of said rim engaged by saidjaws into tight engagement with said body member.

4. As an article of manufacture, a tray, the combination comprising: aplatform; a split rim; said rim having walls defining an internalchannel for receiving said platform, said channel having a width equalto the thickness of said platform; said rim mounted on said platformclosely about and engaging the periphery thereof; a pair of handles eachhaving a body portion including a grip along one edge and a leg alongthe other edge and a pair of spaced jaws intermediate said grip and saidleg; each of said jaws having a lip on its end remote from said bodyportion of said handle and spaced from said body portion a distanceequal to the width of said rim; said jaws defining a pockettherebetween; said rim received into said pocket with the split in saidrim intermediate the ends of one of said handles; said rim tightlyengaged by said jaws, and said platform engaged by said lips adjacentsaid rim.

5. As an article of manufacture, a platform, the combination comprising:a body member; a split rim having walls defining an internal channel forreceiving said body member; said rim mounted on said body member closelyabout and engaging the periphery thereof with the ends of said rimseated closely adjacent each other; a handle including a clamp, saidclamp seated over the ends of said rim for engaging said rim; said clampengaging said body member inwardly of said rim toward the center of saidplatform.

JOSEPH A. POTCHEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 475,980 Holt May 31, 1892 2,142,438 Faiveley Jan. 3, 19392,237,102 Hungerford Apr. 1, 1941 2,263,815 Northup et a1 Nov. 25, 19412,324,811 Auslander July 20, 1943 2,340,483 Miller Feb. 1, 19442,370,380 Ulrich Feb. 27, 1945 2,410,135 Sundback Oct. 29, 19462,485,907 Montoya Oct. 25, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date25,414 Great Britain Dec. 7, 1905 110,664 Great Britain Nov. 1, 1917196,932 Switzerland July 16, 1938 443,389 Great Britain Feb. 27, 1936509,803 France Aug. 25, 1920 649,453 Germany Aug. 24, 1937

